Athletes of the Week air Wednesdays at 7:30am & 4:30pm. You can also replay these segments here or via Podcasts (search WTTR).
Athletes of the Week
Week for Jan 22, 2020
Rachel Thiem is a senior forward on the Liberty Lions girls basketball team. She posted a double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 10 rebounds as the Lions beat Century 54-25. Earlier in the week she scored 14 points, and continues to lead the county in free throw shooting. She’s also in the top 3 in the CCAL in points, rebounds, steals, and field goal percentage.
Adam Mattson wrestles at 170 pounds for Manchester Valley. The senior picked up his 100th career victory wrestling at the Kenwood Duals. For the week he had five victories, four by pin, and now totals 23 wins with 14 pins on the season.
Junior Heathe Hernandez is also part of a strong Mavericks wrestling squad. He won all six of his matches last week, recording five pins and a major decision. His 24 wins and 19 pins have helped Man Valley to go 27-1 in dual matches this season.
Week for Jan 15, 2020
Hunter Merson is a senior wrestler for Winters Mill. He captured first place at both the Easton Brawl Tournament and the Falcon Invitational, winning every match by pin. Wrestling at 145 pounds, Hunter is 19-2 on the year with 16 pins.
Winters Mill junior wrestler Zach Kirby had similar success – he also pinned his way through the Easton and Winters Mill tournaments, also taking first place in both. Zach is undefeated this season with an overall record of 21-0 with 18 pins in the 132 pound weight class.
Week for Jan 8, 2020
Chad Schaffer is a senior wrestler for Manchester Valley who picked up a pair of pins to give him 12 for the season in the 138 pound weight class. He’s captured 111 victories in his career, and is currently 3-0 in the county and 18-4 overall.
Michael Pizzuto is the third-ranked wrestler in the state at 106 pounds after going 8-0 with six pins at the Iron Horse Duals. The South Carroll freshman is a perfect 29-0 with 16 pins on the season, including a 25-0 mark in three tournaments.
Week for Jan 1, 2020
Amelia Saunders is a senior guard for the Manchester Valley girls basketball team. She led the Mavericks at the MV Frostbite Invite Holiday Tournament. In a tough 54-42 loss to Marriotts Ridge, Amelia scored a team-high 17 points, had 3 steals and 2 assists. Then in a consolation round victory over Thomas Johnson, she again contributed 17 points and added 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Ryan Athey wrestles at 113 pounds for the South Carroll Cavaliers. The sophomore won his weight class at the Damascus Holiday Tournament for the second year in a row, improving his record to 19-1 on the season. He went 10-0 in the tournament with six pins, and defeated the state’s #5-ranked wrestler in the finals to capture the tournament title.
Manchester Valley’s Hunter Green is also a wrestler who dominated a holiday tournament. The senior was 10-0 in the 126 pound weight class, recording eight first period pins at the Duals at Westminster event. His performance also contributed to the Mavericks’ team title.
Week for Dec 25, 2019
Justin Wunder is a senior guard for the Century boys basketball team. He tied a program single-game record by hitting seven 3-pointers in leading the Knights in a 75-41 win at Fallston. Justin scored 29 points and had 4 steals. Later that week, he added 15 points in a 62-51 victory at Francis Scott Key.
Thomas Chenoweth wrestles at 152 pounds for Manchester Valley and earned the 100th victory of his career. He defeated his Linganore opponent 14-2 and then won his match against Westminster with a pin in 1:44. For the season the senior now has 9 wins and has recorded 5 pins.
Jake Boog also wrestles for Manchester Valley and captured two solid wins for the Mavericks at 120 pounds. The freshman pinned his Linganore opponent in just 1:04, and followed that with a pin in his Westminster match in 2:08. Jake remains perfect on the season with a record of 10-0.
Week for Dec 18, 2019
Gage Owen is a freshman wrestler for the South Carroll Cavaliers. He took first place in the 120-pound weight class, going 7-0, and helping the Cavs to win the “Battle in the Boro” tournament at Boonsboro High School. For the week, Gage was 9-0 in his matches, recording six pins.
Kathryn Hopkins is a junior distance runner for the Winters Mill indoor track team. She captured first place in the 1600 and 3200 meter runs at the Ed Bowie Invitational, featuring 47 teams at the Prince Georges Sports Complex.
Week for Dec 11, 2019
Peyton Scheufele is a senior forward for the Liberty Lions boys basketball team. In an overtime loss to Laurel, he shot 86% from the floor and led the Lions with a 33-point effort. He also contributed 7 rebounds and 3 steals while playing all but one minute in the season opener.
Stephen Hurst wrestled at 145 pounds for the Century Knights. He won all nine of his matches at the Armed Forces Dual Meet Tournament held at North Hagerstown High School.
Week for Nov 27, 2019
Matt Annulis is a senior defensive back for the county champion Westminster Owls football team. In the Owls’ 3A State Semi-final contest at Mervo, Matt had 11 tackles, an interception, and 3 pass breakups. The Owls’ season ended with a 16-6 defeat, but they held the Mustangs to their lowest point and yardage total for the year.
Week for Nov 20, 2019
Caroline Mastria is a senior outside hitter and captain of the Class 2A state champion Century girls volleyball team. She had 32 kills and five aces in leading the Knights to wins over perennial state power Rising Sun in the state semi-finals, and then Oakdale in the state title game. It’s the second state championship in Century program history.
Tommy Nelson accumulated 178 yards of total offense in the Liberty football team’s 35-28 victory at Glenelg. The sophomore had 120 yards and a touchdown on 20 rushes, and caught two passes for 58 yards and another touchdown, giving him a total of 15 touchdowns on the year. It was the Lions’ second playoff victory this season, a first for the Liberty football program.
Week for Nov 13, 2019
Jilienne Widener is a senior outside hitter and captain of the undefeated Westminster girls volleyball team. She pounded out 85 kills in leading the Owls to playoff wins over Centennial, Howard County champ Mt. Hebron, and Reservoir. For the third straight year, Westminster will play in the state semi-finals.
Nathaniel Costley, a senior running back and cornerback for the Manchester Valley football team, was key in the Mavericks’ 14-6 playoff win against Hammond. Costley rushed for 160 yards on 25 carries, and answered the Bears’ early touchdown with a 59-yard score of his own. He also had three catches, and broke up three passes and made three tackles from the secondary.
Erick Stranko was all over the field in the Westminster football team’s 47-28 Class 3A East regional win against Long Reach. At tailback, the junior ran for 147 yards and a score, and contributed nine tackles from his linebacker spot.
Week for Nov 6, 2019
Grace Siehler led the South Carroll girls cross country team to a second-place finish at the Class 2A West Regional Meet at Liberty High School. Grace, a junior and county champion, covered the 5K course in 19:51 to capture first place by more than 34 seconds.
Gavin Edson, a senior, was second among all Liberty cross country runners as the Lions took home a team second-place at the 2A West regionals held on their home course. Gavin was credited by his coach Pete Lester for running an “incredibly smart race,” leading to an 8th place overall finish in a personal best time of 17:55.
Week for Oct 30, 2019
Emma McGraw, a senior defender on the Century girls soccer team, has been a huge part of the Knights solid defensive play all season. She helped lead the Knights to a season-ending victory over Liberty, an undefeated regular season, and the county championship. Coach Sara Figuly praises Emma’s communication on the field and positive attitude.
Trent Taylor is a member of the Liberty boys cross country team who won their 6th county championship in the last 7 years, and their 4th straight. His coach Dan Jones says Trent was a key runner for the Lions in their defense of that title. He ran a strong tactical race, finishing second among Liberty runners and 4th in the county. Coach Jones points to Trent’s sheer hard work and determination, qualities that took him from the #3 runner on last year’s JV team, to the #2 runner on the defending state champion varsity team.
Week for Oct 23, 2019
Kayliegh Ward, from Liberty High School, scored the winning goal vs Century to help the field hockey team win County Champions and an undefeated regular season. She plays the left-wing position and is the captain and leader of the team. She has been a strong player in helping the team win games and go on this unheard-of streak!
Jarren Rutter, a football player at Francis Scott Key, left it all on the field against Manchester Valley on Friday. FSK Football won 8-6 for their first County win of the season and in large part to the contributions of Rutter. Jarren had a fumble recovery, 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and one pass break up. And if that wasn’t convincing enough, he had THE game sealing interception with 50 seconds on the clock!
